Rugby: Escape To Victory

This is a great warm-up for defensive and evasion sessions, or it might even be a warm-up that helps you reinforce coaching points made during a previous session. The best bit is that it's fun and relevant to all ages. If you're coaching tag rugby, change the warm-up exercise from contact to tags.

One team runs clockwise round the inside of the circle with the other team running anti-clockwise around the outside of the circle. The circle in this case is marked out using blue cones, but you can use whatever colour you like.

When the coach shouts 'Jailbreak' the players inside the inner circle try to 'escape' to outside the 10m x 10m square (yellow cones). The size of the square and distance from the circle is a suggestion, play with it a little and let us know your variations!

The inside team scores a point for each 'jailbreaker' - swap over. If you have an odd number of players give the defenders the extra man.

• Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following laws for this exercise.....

1. Players must start the game behind the outer cone of their corner and only one of them can enter the grid at any one time.
2. This game works on a relay basis, one and only one player in the grid from each group at a time - and the next player must be touched before they may enter the playing area.
3. While balls are in the center of the grid, one relay robber from each team can enter the grid to steel a ball from the center of the grid and bring it back to their own box or bank.
4. If all the balls in the center of the grid have been stolen, teams can now steel each others balls - but the same relay rules apply.
5. The winning team is the team that can get 4 balls into their box. Adjust this to allow your players to experience success or to make the game harder.

• You can add or remove balls to make the game harder or easier.
• No cheating! Only one ball can be carried at a time, only one player from each team in the grid, and you cannot go until tagged.

• Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly.
• This is not a contact game.
• Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary.
• One team goes to attack, and one to defence.
• Nominate a Scrum Half for each team.
• There is no kicking in this game.
• Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition.
• If an attacking player is touched: they must go to ground, present the ball, two of their teammates ruck over (staying over the ball), and the Scrum Half moves the ball for the next phase of attack.
• When you start playing this game make sure that the defence is employing your defensive pattern around the ruck. As the game develops consider telling the defenders that they must have one or more players at the back of the ruck, if they are not fast enough to do this - push them back 10 meters.
• It’s important that defenders are employing their defensive pattern behind the primary defensive line.
• Have attacking players do what they normally would at the ruck.
• Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made!
• When you feel the time is appropriate, usually during a ruck, blow you whistle and should FLIP IT – kicking in or throwing in a second ball to the back 3/2 defenders on the team currently in defence OR just kick it behind the defenders. The defensive team goes, without hesitation, into attack. The team that was attacking goes into defence and you or an assistant coach remove the other ball from play when you can. Ideally you might have two balls with different markings.
• Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you!

• Divide your players into groups of five, with one player acting as a running. Each grid will need a runner. The runner starts on the runners cone.
• You might wish to have two groups of five at each grid, and to have a quick demo before sending all the players to their own grids.
• Keep your player briefing, brief!
• The first five passers attack the runners line, passing the pass down the line as they go.
• The runner sets off as soon as the first ball carrier starts to move.
• The aim of attack is to score a try in the corner, beating the runner - so quick hands.
• Each player should realign following their pass, there will be two attacks for each group before they move the ball onto the next group.
• After the first attack the runner goes to their cones on the opposite side of the grid ready for the next attack. The attack begins when the first players picks the ball off the ground.
• Don't forget to change the runners.
• Move the runner cones in to progress the exercise and to put the attack under more pressure.